"So Baby-Pop, why exactly New York of all places for a vacation?"
Danny glanced over at Ember before looking forward. He, Ember, and Danielle had finished breakfast and then headed out to see what the city had in store for them.
He gave off a shrug. "Nothing big, really. Some of the shows I watched as a kid, like Spider-Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and The Real Ghostbusters, were always set in New York. I guess I just found New York interesting because that and always wanted to visit one day."
Ember had a blank look on her face. "The only thing I recognized was Spider-Man."
"Then you're in for a treat when I show you the others," replied Danny with a grin.
"Yes, because I want to watch a show about turtle ninjas and what I'm guessing are ghost hunters," said Ember in a deadpan tone.
"They're not as bad you think."
"Whatever you say, Baby-Pop."
"Danny! Where are we going first?" questioned Danielle, catching the older teens' attention.
The older halfa could only grin.
-:-
"Really, Baby-Pop? Really?"
"What? Afraid you'll fall flat on your butt?"
She glared at him and that smirk of his. Of all the places they had to visit first, she was not expecting THIS.
"I'm not afraid! I know how to ice skate, dipstick!"
Indeed. Danny had taken them to the world famous ice rink of Rockefeller Center. While Ember looked annoyed by the decision, Danielle looked both intrigued and worried.
"Danny, I don't know how to skate."
"Don't worry, Danielle. I'll be there every step of the way to teach you," replied the boy. He then turned to Ember. "You coming?"
She let out a sigh of frustration. "Fine! I still don't get why you wanted to come here first."
"Personally I'd rather have come around Christmas time to see the lighting of the tree, but that still doesn't change the fact that this is a place you HAVE to visit while in New York. Besides, I figured you'd like to see the statue of Prometheus."
"…Who?"
He pointed at the bronze statue next to the ice rink. "Prometheus. According to myths, he's the reason humans have fire because he stole it from the gods. So technically you wouldn't even have your powers if it weren't for him."
Technically she got her powers another way. A way she'd rather not think about because of what led up to it. She wasn't going to correct Baby-Pop though. For one thing, there was no way she was going to tell him about something so personal. Secondly…Baby-Pop's version was less tragic for her.
She let out another sigh, this one more lighthearted. "So how are we going to do this? None of us have any skates."
"Leave that to me," replied Danny with a grin as any icy aura appeared around his hand.
Not soon after Danny had created blades of ice that he attached to everyone's shoes, effectively making makeshift ice skates. Luckily, since they were made from ghost ice, it would be a long time before they melted.
While Danny and Ember had no problem getting onto the ice, Danielle was still hesitant.
"Remember, Danielle. You can float a little if it feels like you're about to fall," said Danny, comforting the little one.
That was all she needed to hear. She stepped onto the ice and was about to slip and fall, but rebalanced herself with her ghost powers. She beamed in happiness when she was able to stand perfectly.
The three ghosts then began their skate session, with Danielle soon challenging Danny and Ember to a race. Being a beginner and being as small as she was, it was no surprise that Danielle came in last, but it was a surprise to Danny that Ember beat him.
"Told you I knew how to skate," said Ember with a cocky smirk as she skated circle around Danny.
Danny returned the smirk. "That you did. A talented musician, singer, AND figure skater. Any other talents I should know about?"
She had to fight off her blush when he called her talented again. "N-No, that's all of them."
After having their fun at the ice rink, it was time to leave and see the other landmarks before the day was done.
"So where to next?" asked Danny, letting someone else have a turn at choosing their next destination.
"I want to see the building the gorilla climbed!" exclaimed Danielle.
Ember raised an eyebrow at that. "Gorilla?"
"She apparently found out about King Kong recently," explained Danny. "That's actually why she came to New York to begin with, to see Kong."
Danielle nodded her head. "But Danny said he's not real, so he took me to the zoo to see real gorillas!"
Purple lips wanted to twitch into a smile. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but Mini-Pop was adorable. Now that she thought about, Baby-Pop STILL hasn't told her who Mini-Pop was exactly. She'll have to remember that for later. Right now…
"So we're going to the Empire State Building, huh?"
-:-
Danielle stared up at the building in wonder. If it was this big…
"Just how big WAS Kong?" questioned the ghostling.
"Didn't you watch the movie, Danielle?" asked Danny in confusion. He was under the impression that she had somehow seen the movie.
She shook her head no. "I heard some people talking about it and thought it sounded cool!"
Well that explained that. "You know, if you want, we can always watch it when we return to the hotel later."
"Really, Danny?" asked Danielle, looking excited.
"Sure. We can watch the original version or the version that came out two years ago. Fair warning though, the newer one is about three hours long."
"Three hours?" questioned Ember, surprised. "Man, movies have come a long way since the 70s."
Danny let out a chuckle. "Yeah, but I bet most of the old-school movies are still better than what they put out today. Sort of like music in that regard."
Ember grinned at that.
The three walked into the building, where Danielle immediately started to look around.
"Don't wander off too far, Danielle! This is technically an office building," stated Danny.
"Well aren't you a mother hen," said Ember with a smirk.
Danny frowned at that. "You'd be protective too, if you knew the truth."
"You going to tell me?" questioned the rock diva in a tone that only Danny could hear.
"…Later, when it's just you and me. I promise."
She could live with that. If it's as important as Baby-Pop is implying, it would be for the best to speak of it in private.
"Danny!" called out Danielle, catching their attention. Turning, they gained blank looks when they saw what Danielle was pointing at.
It was a cart full of gorilla plushies, each wearing an "I Love NY" shirt.
"Let me guess. You want one?" asked Danny. He chuckled when the little one nodded excitedly. "Alright, alright."
With new plushy in hand, Danielle held it close, happy for the gift.
Ember could only shake her head in amusement. Baby-Pop was going to spoil Mini-Pop one of these days.
"So is there anything else to do here, Baby-Pop, or are we done?" asked Ember.
"We could head up to the observation deck, if you want."
Giving off a shrug, she followed the halfa duo to the elevators. After a long ride to the top, the three soon came to look over the entire city.
"Wow!" said Danielle in awe.
"You know, we probably could have just flown and got the same view," stated Ember, turning to Danny.
"True, but this just feels like the better experience," explained Danny. "Plus, since Louie is still out there somewhere, it's probably for the best if we keep a low profile for now."
The rock diva grimaced at the mention of the short mobster. Her hair flickered in agitation at not being able to get her hands on that dipstick for trying to ruin her concert.
"Baby-Pop, I know where we can go next."
-:-
Somehow, Danny was not surprised with Ember's choice. It was right next to Broadway, so what better place than Times Square for a girl who craves to be on stage all the time.
"This is where I'm holding my concert!" admitted the fiery girl with a grin.
Danny raised an eyebrow at this. "Wait, is it even legal to hold concerts here in Times Square?"
"I don't see why not. Dick Clark always had those New Year parties here," replied the girl. "By the way, is he still having those parties?"
Danny moved his hand in a "somewhat" motion. "Kind of. He unfortunately had a stroke three years ago, so other people had to take over hosting. He does make occasional appearances though."
Ember frowned when she heard this. She hoped the man was doing well. She remembered the first New Year's party that was held back in '73, where she stayed up to watch it with her parents. It was one of the very few good memories she had.
Shaking her head, she gained a look of determination. "Anyway, I don't care if it's legal or not! Times Square is where I'm playing!"
Danny rolled his eyes while Danielle bounced up and down in excitement.
It was then they heard the roar of an engine and people screaming. Looking over where the noise was coming from, their eyes widened to see a 1920s Cadillac flying towards them.
"What the hell?!" exclaimed Danny and Ember.
Before anyone could react, just as the car was about to pass them, a pair of arms reached out the window and snatched up Danielle.
"Hey! Let go! Danny!" cried out the ghostling as the car sped away.
The two teens gaped like fish at what they just witnessed, but it only took a second before their eyes became red with anger. Danny transformed into his ghost half and took off after the car with Ember right behind him.
Meanwhile, Danielle was now bound and gagged as she sat between the short mobster from the night before and one of his goons. The other goon was currently driving. She glared at Louie, but was ignored.
"Boss, are you sure this was a good idea?" asked Mugsy.
"I came up with it, didn't I," replied Louie. "We use the brat here as a hostage and Phantom will be bow to our demands."
"Um, Boss?" said Bugsy, looking in the rearview mirror.
Louie let out a sigh of frustration. "What is it, Bugsy?"
"I think we're in trouble."
The short mobster raised an eyebrow before turning to look out the rear window, only for his eyes to widened in fear as he saw Phantom right on their tail.
"Gun it, Bugsy!"
Not needing to be told twice, Bugsy sped up to try and get away from the enraged Phantom. Weaving through the tall buildings, they soon ended up over the river and headed towards a familiar statue.
"You're not getting away!" yelled out Danny as he went into overdrive. He was able to reach the car and tore the door right off, surprising the gangsters. The next thing they knew was that they were being pummeled by Phantom.
The car soon crash-landed on Liberty Island, but not before Danny grabbed his little clone.
"Ember! Catch Danielle!" shouted out Danny before tossing the little one.
Luckily, Ember was able to catch her with ease. Once in her arms, Ember removed the gag from Danielle's mouth.
"He just threw me!" exclaimed the little one, not looking happy.
"As long as your safe, that's all that matters to Baby-Pop right now, Mini-Pop," said Ember. She then glared down to where the car crashed. "And since you are safe now, a certain dipstick is going to get it."
The three mobster ghosts crawled out from the wreckage, only to freeze in terror from the nasty glare Danny was giving them.
"You really are a two-bit thug if you have to target children to get what you want, aren't you, Louie?" questioned the white-haired teen.
Gritting his teeth, Louie's temper was getting the better of him. "This is my town, Phantom! I run this place! All will do as I say!"
"And yet, here I am defying you."
"Grah! Bugsy! Mugsy! Make him Swiss cheese!"
Doing as they were told, the goons took out their Tommy guns and opened fire. Luckily for Danny he was able to dodge the bullets with ease and managed to keep their eyes on them instead of Ember and Danielle. But he needed to end this.
Creating a ghost shield, he barreled towards the mobsters, the bullets deflecting off of the shield. The goons, unfortunately for them, didn't even bother getting out of the way and Danny crashed right into them. When the smoke cleared, Danny stood tall while Bugsy and Mugsy lay in a heap. Danny then pulled out a gadget that Ember was all too familiar with.
Louie knew he was in trouble when he watched Danny suck up his goons in that fancy looking thermos. So while Danny was busy with the idiots, Louie tried to slink away. Too bad he bumped into something in the process. Looking up, he shirked back in fear at the red-eyed glare of one Ember McLain.
"Tell me, Louie. Ever wanted to know what a baseball feels like?"
The next thing Louie knew was Ember swinging her guitar like a baseball bat, sending him flying through the air.
"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" screamed out Louie.
"It's going, going," said Danny as he took aim with the Fenton Thermos. He then pressed the button and the beam of light hit Louie. "It's gone! Grand slam by Ember McLain!"
"This isn't over, Phantom! I'll get you for this! Mark my words!" shouted Louie as he fought the suction, but it was for naught as he was soon trapped.
Danny then capped the thermos with a smirk. "Not the first time an enemy declared revenge."
Ember rolled her eyes as she and Danielle walked up to him. She then gave him a narrowed look and crossed her arms. "You brought your thermos with you on vacation."
"Just because I'm on vacation, doesn't mean I'm stupid enough to think I won't run into any bad ghosts," replied Danny in a deadpan tone. "This was more for a "just in case" situation."
"And what was your plan once you captured them?" she questioned.
"…I haven't really thought that far along, to be honest."
Ember pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. This was the boy she loved, ladies and gentlemen. She was about to admonish him when everything just stopped.
"Time out."
Ember and Danielle jumped at the sudden voice, but Danny could only smirk. His smirk became a grin when a certain timekeeper made his appearance.
"Clockwork!"
The blue-robed ghost smiled at the boy as he shifted through his various ages. "It is good to see you, Daniel."
"Likewise. So what brings you to New York of all places?"
Clockwork let out a chuckle. "This and that, I suppose."
As the two males conversed, Ember was trying to process what the hell she was seeing. How and why was Baby-Pop acting all buddy-buddy with Clockwork of all ghosts?! Clockwork was the top of the food chain in terms of power in the Ghost Zone, so how the hell is Baby-Pop friends with him?! She glanced over at Danielle, who looked more confused than anything. Given her young age and the fact that she wasn't a full ghost, that was a given.
Glaring over at the older halfa, she demanded answers. "Baby-Pop! Why are you talking with the old timer like you're friends?!"
"Ah, Miss McLain. It's nice to see you as well," said Clockwork, giving her a smile.
Ember gulped nervously. Every ghost knew better than to get on Clockwork's bad side. She turned back to Danny with a look of fear in her eyes.
"It's okay, Ember. Clockwork's cool."
"Do you even know who he is, Baby-Pop?!"
"Well, yeah. He's the keeper of time."
"And you're friends with him?! How the hell did that happen?!"
"…I'd rather not say," replied Danny, looking away from the diva.
She was about to demand answers, but Clockwork intervened.
"Daniel will tell you when he is ready, Miss McLain. Do not push him until then."
If it were anyone else, she would have argued, but this was Clockwork. You're a complete fool if you go against Clockwork.
She let out a nervous cough. "So to repeat what Baby-Pop asked earlier, why are you here, old timer?"
The timekeeper smiled once more. "I am here to help with your problem, Daniel."
Danny raised an eyebrow. "My problem?"
"Surely you don't plan on keeping Louie and his men in the thermos, are you?"
"Wait, you're going to take them off my hands?" asked Danny, confused. "Aren't they a bit beneath you to keep at your place?"
Clockwork shook his head in amusement. "They won't be staying with me, Daniel. I have asked someone else to look after them."
At this, Clockwork opened a doorway and Danny's eyes widened before narrowing at who stepped out of it.
"Walker."
Indeed it was the prison warden and his right-hand man Bullet. The two looked at Danny with their own narrowed looks. Off to the side, Ember stood in front of Danielle, to keep her away from Walker.
"Stand down, you little punk. Clockwork's already told me everything that's going on, so I don't have a choice but to call a truce," stated Walker.
"You really expect me to believe that?! You turned the whole town against me just because I outsmarted you on multiple occasions!" exclaimed Danny, not taking his eyes off of the warden.
"It is true, Daniel," said Clockwork. "I have informed Walker that you will be encountering many enemies on your current journey and that someone will need to come a collect them from you once they've been captured."
The halfa had a blank look on his face before he facepalmed. "Well there goes my vacation."
"Do not worry, Daniel. I believe you'll still be able to enjoy your vacation as it continues," stated Clockwork, taking a quick glance towards Ember. "Now then, why don't you release your catch so Walker and his men may take them in."
Danny grimaced at the thought, but relented since he knew Clockwork wouldn't let them escape. Uncapping the thermos, he pressed the reverse button and released the mobsters. Once free, they locked eyes on Walker and froze in terror.
A grin formed on Walker's face, sending shivers into the mobsters' cores. "Well, well, well. I wasn't expecting Louie the Lip of all ghosts to be the first pickup in this deal."
"W-W-Walker!" yelped Louie. He tried to make a break for it, but Walker grabbed him while Bullet caught hold of Bugsy and Mugsy.
"I must say, punk, I'm impressed," said Walker. "Louie's been giving my men the slip for years and yet you managed to catch him."
"Sounds like you need new men," said Danny in a deadpan tone, earning a glare from Walker. "No, seriously. I'd put Louie just slightly above the Box Ghost in terms of threats."
Ember let out a snort as she tried to hold in her laughter.
Walker narrowed his eyes. It sounded like the punk was telling the truth and if that was the case, what have his men been doing this whole time if they couldn't handle this? Looks like he was going to have to take them through the ringer.
"Regardless, just make sure you keep up with the good work, punk."
With that, Walker and Bullet dragged their new prisoners back to the prison, leaving behind a stunned Danny.
"Did…Did I just get a compliment from Walker?"
"Are pigs flying? Did hell freeze over?" questioned Ember, equally stunned.
"…Pigs can fly?" asked Danielle, confused.
"I'll explain later, Mini-Pop."
Danny turned to Clockwork. "So what now?"
"That is your decision, Daniel. I must return to my tower. And do not worry about Walker. He know what will happen if he tries anything against you under my watch."
Time then resumed and Clockwork was gone. Danny then turned to the girls, finding Ember trying to process what just happened and Danielle looking at the ground in sadness.
"Danny…"
"Danielle?"
"I'm…"
Before she could finish, Danny had brought her into a hug, much to her surprise.
"Don't you dare apologize for getting captured," stated Danny. Her eyes widened, signifying that, that was exactly what she was about to do. "It's not your fault as none of us saw that coming, so don't worry about it. You're safe now and that's all that matters."
Her lips trembled and she buried her face into his shoulder, as she held on tight to him.
Ember looked away from the scene, feeling that this was between Baby-Pop and Mini-Pop.
When Danielle let go, Danny reached over and wiped away the remaining tears. "Feel better, Dani?"
She nodded slightly and replied in a small voice. "Yeah."
"Come on, let's head back. Have to get ready for that concert tonight, right?"
The girls looked at Danny with wide eyes.
"Baby-Pop?"
He looked over his shoulder to give her a smile. "What? I thought you were going to hold that concert in Times Square?"
She didn't even try to fight the grin that came to her face. "Damn right I am! Watch out, New York! Ember McLain is on the stage!"
"You mean I'm really going to see a concert?" asked Danielle, happiness returning to her eyes.
"Yup! So let's get back to the hotel so we can get ready."
With no argument, the three flew back to the hotel.
-:-
Danny had to admit, the concert was fun. He and Danielle got to stand back stage and watched Ember do her thing while hundreds of New Yorkers cheered her name.
After the final encore, the crowd cheered as Ember walked off stage and towards the Phantom duo.
"That was awesome, Ember!" exclaimed Danielle.
"Thanks, Mini-Pop," replied Ember, ruffling the little one's hair. "Always nice to hear compliments from a fan."
Danny rolled his eyes, but could tell Ember was just having some fun. He then noticed Dani let out a yawn.
"Looks like someone needs to get to bed."
"I'm not tired," mumbled out the ghostling, but the moment Danny lifted her up into his arms she was out like a light.
"Normally I'd be offended that someone fell asleep to my music, but this will be the only exception," said Ember with a slight giggle.
Danny let out a chuckle of his own. "It really was a great concert, Ember. I told you, you were talented enough that you didn't need to brainwash people to like your music."
He didn't notice the slight blush that appeared on her cheeks. "Th-Thanks, Baby-Pop. Anyway, I need to get going and head off to my next stop on the tour. By the way, where are you heading to next?"
He gave off a slight shrug. "Don't know. This vacation was kind of spur of the moment and New York City was the only place I KNEW I wanted to visit."
Ember perked up at hearing this. If Baby-Pop didn't have anything planned out, she could use this to her advantage and get closer to Baby-Pop!
"Then why don't you and Mini-Pop tagalong with me?"
"Huh?" questioned Danny, looking at her confused.
"You just said that you have no idea where you're going to next, so why not come with me to where I'm going. I think you'll both enjoy it."
"…I guess we could do that. Any chance we can leave tomorrow morning though? Dani needs her sleep."
"Sorry, Baby-Pop, but we'll need to leave tonight. Don't worry though; I've got us covered. Just follow me."
He probably should have thought this over, but Danny followed anyway. Once they were far enough away with little people around, Ember snapped her fingers and Danny was surprised when a bus appeared out nowhere. It was painted in Ember's signature colors.
"What the hell?"
"I'm a rock star, Baby-Pop. I'm going to have my own tour bus," explained the rock diva. "This baby will get us to our next destination in no time."
"…It can fly, can't it?"
"You're learning, Baby-Pop~"
He merely rolled his eyes, but followed Ember onboard. Once inside, he placed Dani on one of the couches and covered her with a blanket before handing her gorilla plushy. He smiled when she snuggled the plushy in her sleep. Danny then turned to Ember.
"So where are we heading to anyway."
She just gave him a grin.
"That's a secret, Baby-Pop~"
NEW YORK CITY END
-:-
And that's a wrap for New York City. Where our trio is heading to next will be, as Ember said, a secret. So stick around for after the interlude to find out where they'll go next.
Fun Fact: The name "Louie the Lip" actually comes from an old cartoon called Swamp and Tad. Go look it up on YouTube if you haven't seen it before.
Anyway, as I mentioned in the Prologue notes, this was originally going to be a MHA fic. In that version, the Dekusquad, when ending up in New York City, would have met up with Melissa Shield and her father, who would have been in New York for a conference. The villain they would have fought while in New York would have actually been a hero-turned-traitor who went by the name Patriot. His Quirk would have been Fireworks (think Jubilee from X-Men) and he would have been the sidekick to a hero called Eagle Man (Quirk: Bald Eagle). Patriot would have revealed his true colors towards the end, as he was tired of being the sidekick of what he deemed an "inferior" hero, despite the fact that Eagle Man is one of the best heroes in America.